Registrar DNS vs hosting DNS, e-mails: who manages what?

In one sentence: Extension.GP is a registrar. We reserve your .gp domain name, register it in your name with the official registry and deliver your certificate of ownership. Everything technical (DNS zone, A, CNAME, MX, TXT records, e-mail addresses, redirections, website) happens at your web host, not with us.

Contents 1. There are two kinds of "DNS", and that is the whole point 2. What Extension.GP does for you 3. What Extension.GP does not do 4. What your web host does (and where to find its DNS) · Cloudflare 5. E-mails: who manages them? 6. The steps, in order 7. Checking that everything is in place (DNS Checker) 8. Further reading

1. There are two kinds of "DNS", and that is the whole point

The word "DNS" refers to two different things, which explains most of the confusion:

🏛️ Name servers (at the registry, via Extension.GP)

These are the addresses of the authoritative DNS servers for your domain (for example ns1.your-host.com and ns2.your-host.com). They are provided by your web host. We declare them to the .gp registry when the domain is registered: it is a simple signpost telling the Internet "for this domain, ask this host".

We neither create nor host them: we record the ones your host gave you.

🖥️ The DNS zone (at your web host)

This is your domain's technical control panel, inside your host's customer area. This is where records are created and edited:

A / AAAA: which server the website points to
CNAME: aliases (www, shop, app…)
MX: where e-mails are delivered
TXT: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Google, Microsoft or Facebook verifications…
subdomains, redirections, and so on.

A simple picture: Extension.GP is the notary who draws up the deed for your name and writes down the address of the house. Your web host is the company that builds and maintains the house: electricity, letterbox, keys. Asking Extension.GP to add a CNAME record or create a mailbox is like asking the notary to redo the plumbing.

2. What Extension.GP does for you

✅ Check availability of your name in .gp, .com.gp, .net.gp, .org.gp, .mobi.gp
✅ Register the name in your name with the official registry of Guadeloupe and deliver your certificate of ownership (you are the holder, not us)
✅ Declare to the registry the name servers your host gave you (or those of a reputable host on a temporary basis if you do not have one yet)
✅ Manage the domain contacts (owner, administrative, billing, technical) and your renewals
✅ Help you by phone or ticket to understand who does what

3. What Extension.GP does not do

❌ We do not host a DNS zone: no A, CNAME, MX or TXT record is created or edited on our side
❌ We do not provide redirection services (www → site, domain → another address)
❌ We do not manage e-mails: no mailbox creation, routing, webmail, SPF or DKIM
❌ We do not host websites and do not work on your server
❌ We do not carry out technical operations on behalf of your host or provider

These operations belong to your web host (or your webmaster). This is normal and true of every registrar: the registrar records the name, the host makes it work.

4. What your web host does (and where to find its DNS)

The host is the company that provides a server for your website and e-mails. When you subscribe to a plan, it gives you its name servers (two or more, such as ns1… / ns2…). You will find them in the welcome e-mail or in your customer area under "DNS", "Domains" or "DNS zone". These are the addresses to send us when ordering (or later, by ticket): we declare them to the registry, and from then on your host is in charge of everything.

In the host's DNS zone, you (or your webmaster) can then:

point yourdomain.gp and www.yourdomain.gp to your website (A or CNAME record)
create subdomains (shop.yourdomain.gp, app.yourdomain.gp…)
set up e-mails (MX records) and their security (TXT: SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
add the verifications requested by Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Facebook, etc.
set up redirections

A host we recommend, with clear DNS zone management and French-speaking support: Ikoula, Linux web hosting (plans from €2.99 excl. VAT per month, e-mail included). Their step-by-step guide: Managing DNS zones at Ikoula. Any other host, in France or anywhere in the world, works the same way.

☁️ Entrusting your DNS zone to Cloudflare

You can also hand the management of your DNS zone to a specialised service such as Cloudflare, the world leader in this field, through which a very large share of the world's websites run. The principle is the same: you open an account (free plan for everyday needs, paid plans beyond), Cloudflare assigns you its two name servers, you send them to us for the registry declaration, then you manage all your records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT…) from the Cloudflare dashboard, independently of your website's host. It is a popular choice for fast propagation, protection against attacks and the included HTTPS certificate.

5. E-mails: who manages them?

A domain name contains no mailbox. To have contact@yourdomain.gp you need an e-mail service, provided:

either by your web host (web plans usually include mailboxes: at Ikoula from €2.99 excl. VAT per month),
or by a dedicated service such as Google Workspace (professional Gmail on your domain) or Microsoft 365.

In every case, that provider tells you which MX and TXT records to create in your host's DNS zone. Extension.GP is not involved at any stage of e-mail.

6. The steps, in order

You choose a web host (website and/or e-mails). It gives you its name servers.
You order your .gp on Extension.GP and enter those name servers in the form. No host yet? Keep the default choice: you can send us the right servers later by ticket.
We register the name in your name with the registry and declare the name servers. You receive your certificate of ownership.
You (or your webmaster) configure the DNS zone at the host: website, e-mails, subdomains, verifications.
You check propagation (see below): allow from a few minutes to 24 hours, sometimes 48.

7. Checking that everything is in place (DNS Checker)

DNS Checker is a free tool that queries dozens of DNS servers around the world and shows what each of them "sees" for your domain. Use it to:

check the name servers declared at the registry (NS type): they must be your host's;
check a specific record in your zone (A, CNAME, MX, TXT): for example that www.yourdomain.gp points to your site or that your MX records are those of your e-mail provider;
follow propagation after a change: as long as some servers still show the old value, wait (up to 24 to 48 hours).

How to use it: enter your domain, pick the record type from the list, click "Search". If the name servers shown are not your host's, send us a ticket with the right ones and we will correct the declaration at the registry. If the NS are correct but the site or e-mails do not work, the DNS zone at your host is where to look.

8. Further reading

DNS management explained by nomsdedomaine.com (in French): how DNS, zones and records work, in plain language.
Recommendations on DNS service architectures (ANSSI, cyber.gouv.fr) (in French): the official French government guide for designing and securing a DNS infrastructure, useful for organisations running their own servers.
Managing DNS zones at Ikoula (in French): a concrete example of editing a zone at a host.
Cloudflare: DNS zone management, protection and HTTPS, world leader.
DNS Checker: check the propagation of your records worldwide.

Need help? For anything about the name itself (holder, contacts, name servers to declare, renewal), open a ticket from your customer area or call us on +590 590 02 65 97. For the DNS zone, website or e-mails, contact your host's support: they are the ones in control.

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